Common Sense Media Review
By Jan Carr
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Niño tangles with his baby sisters in boisterous sequel.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
As RUDAS: NIÑO'S HORRENDOUS HERMANITAS opens, Niño is making a book using crayons and paper. But when his opponent El Extraterrestre arrives, Niño suits up to wrestle him only to stop short when his sisters, Las Hermanitas, are announced instead of him. The two baby girls are rudas who play dirty, and their first move is "BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The Poopy Bomb Blowout!" Other slick baby moves involve leaving a dirty diaper behind, biting the devil on his long red tail, and shouting "Gimme!" and "¡Mio!" "Will anyone be spared from their Pampered Plunder?" Not even Niño is safe as they poke at his eyes and bite his arm. When Niño does escape, they wail, and no one can make them stop until Niño returns to read them the book he was writing -- and the book's about them!
Is It Any Good?
In this bold, bright, and boisterous picture book sequel, a young boy who imagines he's a lucha libre wrestler is joined by his two baby sisters who are rudas, wrestlers who don't play by the rules. Rudas: Niñas Horrendous Hermanitas works as a sweet, funny sibling book, as well as an action-heavy superhero-type book complete with villains and speech balloons. It's loaded with humor and bursting with punchy comic book words like "ARGGGWWGGG!" The dirty moves employed by the rudas include "The Poopy Bomb Blowout," and leaving a dirty diaper behind. "¡Santa pañales!" cries Niño -- translated as "Holy diapers!" There's lots of Spanish scattered through the text, so the book's ideal for bilingual kids. And it works beautifully as an introduction to Spanish language and Mexican culture.
Morales paints the wild baby rudas with such appealing faces that we can't help being charmed, as is Niño himself, and the last spread of the siblings cuddled up and reading is very sweet indeed.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the babies' behavior in Rudas: Niñas Horrendous Hermanitas. Do you have younger siblings? Do they do any of the same things that Niño's hermanitas do? How do you help them stop crying?
Can you find pictures of the art Niño was drawing for his book? Have you ever made a book? Try to make one!
Did you read the first book, Niño Wrestles the World? Are any of the characters in that book in this book, too?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Yuyi Morales
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Superheroes , Family Stories ( Siblings )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Roaring Brook Press
- Publication date : October 18, 2016
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
- Number of pages : 40
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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